Join senior executives at the Luxury Marketing Forum 2018 conference, an event hosted Wednesday, Sept. 26 by Luxury Daily that is designed to offer marketing strategy, advice and best practice as consumers increasingly exert control over marketing messaging and receptivity, thus evolving perception of the brand.

The theme of this year’s event is 3D: Digital, Dialogue and Data.

Speakers include the leading marketing and retail experts in the business advising some of the largest luxury brands.

Topics under discussion include how customer shopping behavior has changed, selling high-net-worth individuals in the digital era, view from the brand, data-driven marketing in luxury, role of experiences, state of marketing across key luxury sectors, how privacy is the new luxury good, legal best practice for luxury marketing and retailing, role of fragrance in a retail environment, making luxury iconic, the luxury store’s story, future of the CMO, and the luxury brands driving global growth.

Venue is UBS Building, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10019. The conference is priced at only $795 and includes breakfast, lunch and snacks throughout, with plenty of networking opportunities. Attendees will also receive a free copy of a report titled "Luxury, Loyalty and Experience" from Rare. Please email ads@napean.com for the lunch sponsorship.

How Customer Shopping Behavior Has Changed and What it Means for LuxuryDigital tools and ecommerce services such as Amazon and Net-A-Porter, along with brands’ online and mobile stores, have armed affluent consumers with more information, price transparency and delivery expectations – not all of which can be easily executed by luxury marketers. How should brands shape their marketing and retail strategies, as well as their holiday push, in the face of these challenges?

How to Sell High-Net-Worth Clients in the Digital EraToday’s luxury customers no longer perceive that they need store sales associates in the same way as they did in the past. Sales associates’ influencer status has dropped to #3 after friends and social media. Store associates’ currency with clients has changed from product and information to relationship, but many of them are in denial. Customers are changing faster then sales teams are adapting. How should luxury marketers close the skills gap to attract, sell and retain affluent customers? How to adopt new behavior and weed out old practices that annoy today’s clients?

Martin Shanker, president, Shanker Inc.

9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Fireside chat

View from the Brand: Residences at Mandarin OrientalLuxury marketers are in the crosshairs of demanding consumers and rapid technology evolution that has upended marketing as you know it. How are executives in charge of marketing reacting? And how are their organizations reacting? The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, which offers its affluent buyers the amenities of a luxury hotel with the comforts of a private home, shows the way.

Adelina Wong Ettelson, head of residences marketing, The Residences at Mandarin Oriental

Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Networking and Refreshments Break

10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Panel

Data-Driven Marketing in LuxuryDigital marketing and advertising spending this year in the United States will surpass spending on traditional platforms. Digital data about consumers will fuel such marketing and advertising. So where is marketing in luxury headed with all the changes? Challenges include finding talent who understand luxury through consumers’ eyes, and how data is collected, analyzed and used with the European Union’s GDPR in force and the new California law that takes effect in 2020. And who is educating the future leaders of luxury brands?

George Pappachen, president for United States, BIScience

Kristie McGowan, director for global luxury and management, North Carolina State University

Alberto C. Milani, chief design and development officer, Berkshire Hathaway’s Richline Group luxury division, and president, Italy America Chamber of Commerce New York and NAFTA Area

Moderator: Bob Shullman, founder/CEO, The Shullman Research Center

11 a.m. – 11: 30 a.m.

Role of Experiences in a Luxury EnvironmentThe buzz is that seeking unique experiences is replacing possessing material goods, marking the movement of luxury consumer dollars. How does this translate in the retail environment for monobrand and department stores? How should marketers go above and beyond to deliver experiences that get customers coming back to stores, both in bricks and mortar and digitally?

Ken Nisch, chairman, JGA

11:30 a.m. – Noon

Retail Renaissance: Consumer Behavior and the Rise of Human-Centered Retail

The retail industry is experiencing a polarization of consumers at either end of the value versus luxury segments, with particular growth in disposable income among high-income consumers: ~59 percent of wallet share is made up of discretionary spend. Meanwhile, and despite conventional wisdom, millennial consumers display behavior more in line with their income levels rather than traditional stereotypes of millennials as a single cohort. What are the capabilities that luxury retailers and brands need to understand about the human needs of the evolving consumer, and what are the challenges they may need to overcome?

Preeti Pincha, leader-customer strategy, Deloitte Consulting

Noon – 1 p.m.

Sponsored Lunch Hour

12:10 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Privacy is the New Luxury GoodConsumers with enough disposable income will use a disproportionate amount of their money to "buy back" their privacy and raise their social status. The goods they buy will signal to society that they can afford to maintain their sovereignty and still function in society. In due course, social and commercial tides will turn, as the tools to manage privacy get better and more accessible. The world’s societies and economies will transform. The question is, how?

Michael J. Becker, managing partner, Identity Praxis

1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

State of Marketing Across Key Luxury SectorsA sector-by-sector look at how marketing has changed and what it means for luxury brands and retailers as their peers adapt or lead. Sectors examined include retail, leather goods and accessories, apparel, automotive, hospitality, real estate, fragrance and personal care, watches and jewelry, home furnishings and financial services.

Milton Pedraza, CEO, Luxury Institute

1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Fireside chat

Optimizing strategy and tactics on Facebook and InstagramMorin Oluwole, head of luxury, Facebook and Instagram

Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Legal Best Practice for Luxury Marketing and RetailingHow should luxury brands and retailers navigate advertising, marketing, media buying and retailing in an era of increasing regulation from the European Union and states such as California? How should they handle thorny issues – to the marketers, that is – such as privacy and ownership of data? What are some of the legal issues currently being heard in courts and what are likely to end up before judges in the year ahead as digital media and commerce change marketing and retail?

Rania V. Sedhom, managing partner, Sedhom Law Group

2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Networking and Refreshment Break

3 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Fireside ChatsCandid discussions on the role of scent in-store, how luxury are stores and their story, turning luxury products iconic, and the future of the chief marketing officer.

Role of Fragrance in a Retail EnvironmentSue Phillips, bespoke perfumier and founder/CEO, Scenterprises

Making Luxury Iconic: Parallels With ArtLisa Koenigsberg, founder/president, Initiatives in Art and Culture

What is the Luxury Store’s Story?Marie Driscoll,managing director for luxury and fashion, Coresight Research

Future of the CMOVincent Tam, senior strategy consultant, R3

Moderator: Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

4 p.m. – 4: 30 p.m.

Rise of Cruise Retail and Duty-Free as Land-Based Retail Stumbles

LVMH-owned Starboard Cruise Services is the leading cruise ship retailer worldwide with more than 700 onboard retail shops and 2,500-plus employees operating on more than 90 cruise ships. The 60-year-old company sells jewelry, Swiss timepieces, handbags, liquor, beauty products and apparel from brands such as Bulgari, Cartier, Tiffany and Dior, and was the first onboard retailer to offer standalone luxury boutiques. What are some key retail trends, how to transform the brand and train staff, and what does it take to carve out a successful business model in the highly competitive duty-free world?

The Luxury Brands Driving Global GrowthLuxury brands grew 28 percent in brand value in 2018, compared to just 4 percent in 2017, according to the BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands Report from Kantar Millward Brown and ad agency conglomerate WPP. The way luxury is defined has expanded, as younger consumers discover new niche brands and older customers seek traditional luxury products, but also find satisfaction and express individuality with exclusive experiences as well as philanthropy. What are the drivers of luxury brand growth this past year, including unique brand experiences, new uses of data and technology, and the rise of streetwear influence?

Sana Carlton, group senior vice president, Kantar Millward Brown

5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Targeting the Chinese Luxury Traveler

What luxury marketers should do in terms of marketing and retailing to attract the business of affluent Chinese consumers who travel overseas and expect unique experiences and products.